andykwilkinson

Just noticed someone's having a laugh.  Those electricity pylons near my cornfield did not appear until the 1960s...

Just been sent these pictures from our team working hard in the Clubroom. Wickham Market's lighting rig is coming together...

Well look at this!

As one of the Members said today, the lady is getting dressed and is nearly ready for her debutante ball...

I know this won't appeal to serious modellers but it may to those with younger kids. If you're visiting our 41st Model Railway Exhibition at Ely College on Saturday 18th May (doors open 10.30am), as well as many fine layouts and traders from across the region Hornby have very kindly donated one of their East Coast Express OO boxed railway sets.  These sell at around £175 RRP. We'll be holding a draw for this item so don't forget to buy some tickets at the show! There will also be a Tombola with a wide variety of prizes too!

Found this phone snap - from some time ago.  The scenic work in the station area has come on a lot since this but it shows the (truly excellent) model of the station building built by our Exhibition Manager Malcolm Hine.  Since this photo we now have the Goods Shed built (by Keith Barker), as well as the cottages that are in the far distance/on the corner of the layout near the coal yard in an advanced stage of construction (by Bob Relmore).  Quite a few working signals have also been completed by Jamie Rands too (his farther is building the Airey Houses that were built at the southern end of Wickham Market/near the goods yard).  The pond (lower left of pic) and station garden (between the bridge and the station building in the pic) are now pretty well advanced too. 

It's coming on...now, back to the roof on the Granary.  I'm about to insert the chimney! 

I've been working on the Granary at Wickham Market and should have it completed by the exhibition on Sat 18th May.  Attaching a few photos of work in progress so far.  It will eventually have some milling/grading/bagging equipment installed (or maybe I'll go off-piste and put a microbrewery in there ).  There will also be an internal stairway and railings around the opening and it will be internally lit by LEDs in the roof...but all that will have to wait until I've got more time in the summer as we're all mega busy with final tweaks of organising the Exhibition, our 41st in Ely, and getting the layout presentable for it's first every showing.

Bus (Timetable for the No 9) & taxi info from/to Ely railway station and our Exhibition at Ely College on Downham Road on Sat 18th May has now been added to our website:

http://www.elymrc.org.uk/how to get to the exhibition .html

Hi all,

south_tyne, Chairman of Ely & D MRC here.  Sorry for the delay in replying but I got myself in a pickle and lost access to RMWeb - but Andy York's sorted it for me.  I owe him a beer!

We have not started building Framlingham yet.  We wanted to get Wickham Market to a decent state...it's coming on and we're looking forward to showing it at our 41st show on Sat 18th May in Ely.  Regarding that, personally I've been recently working on the harvest scene and I'm also mid-way through building the Granary that stood behind the signal box/near the main station building.  Couple of pics of the harvest scene attached.  You'll see the junction to Framlingham in one of the pics.  Since these pics fencing and more trees in Blackstock Wood have appeared too. Also a poster for the show :-)

Thanks again for all the lovely comments we've had about the show on here, on Facebook and in the Comments box on the voting slips that Visitors got with their free Programmes.

A few pictures of our show have now appeared in this Ely Standard article:

http://www.elystandard.co.uk/news/ely-model-railway-club-exhibition-to-mark-anniversary-1-5530279

It proves that our much loved and regular exhibitor from Market Harborough actually spent some time behind Friday Bridge operating WITHOUT talking...amazing... for those that know Dave! ;-) Only pulling yer leg mate!

Also, someone videoed the exhibition and has put this on YouTube:

Also, here a a few quick iPhone snaps I took of the general areas of the show (Main Hall, Stage and Cafe area, plus separate but adjacent Gym).  There were also Traders in the Corridor and we had other attractions outside.

Next year we will be at the same venue, Ely College and the show is on Sat 18th May 2019.

Tony Wright should again be with us - so don't forget to bring those troublesome locos for him to look at with his Loco clinic - I think he said he was a bit short of punters to help this year.

Hope to see you there!

We had a BRILLIANT 40th Model Railway exhibition in Ely!

The winner of the best layout competition, voted for by the public, was Fen End Pit. A very deserving winner - for a number of reasons. David was so, so happy. A great result.

And to cap it all. We got a VERY low level flypast by the Lancaster Bomber over Ely College at 5.05pm as we were packing up the show.

To all our Exhibitors, Traders and Visitors and Club Members that helped make it such a special and enjoyable day, thank you!

Malcolm Hine, our Exhibition Manager, can you please book the Spitfire & Hurricane (as well as the Lancaster) for the flypast next year...

Finally, our very best wishes to Club Member Neil (who was unexpectedly rushed into Addenbrookes on Friday)...That’s why Aviemore had to be substituted at the last minute. We sincerely hope you get well soon and that Aviemore will be at our 2019 show - as always on the 3rd Saturday in May.

Ha ha!  You're never going to let me forget that "little mishap" (well, OK, quite a big mishap!) whilst babysitting your layout a few years back. If I remember correctly is was at a Bury St Edmunds show, in the days when it was in Risby Village Hall.

We're all looking forward to seeing you in Ely tomorrow Dave - always a pleasure to hear your dulcet tones!

We've got a number of exhibitors and traders already set up in the both Needhams Hall and the Gym at Ely College on Downham Road. All being well, the remaining invited stands and exhibits will descend on us in the morning, followed by lots of eager punters escaping from the media frenzy about you know what!  Hopefully, everything will be ready for when we open the public at 10.30AM.

Safe travels everyone and we look forward to seeing you all tomorrow, Traders, Exhibitors and Visitors. Here's to what we all hope will be a highly enjoyable Model Railway Exhibition, our 40th in Ely no less! 

Ever wondered what our Club is like? Sue Marchant did us truly proud on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire today.

Start listening from about 20 minutes in where we get a 12 minute slot. And then again another good slot from about 36 minutes in until about 47 minutes! 

Just a quick note that another batch of Grantham DVDs have been made.  These will be handed to Jonathan at this Saturday's Ely show (our 40th!) so that they can be hand-delivered to your distribution warehouse up north sometime soon ;-)

Looks great!

For those that live hereabouts I'm told that BBC Radio Cambridgeshire (FM96.0 and 95.7, and on Digital Radio, iPlayer etc.) should be broadcasting a short piece about our Club, our hobby and our upcoming Exhibition on the Sue Marchant show between 3 and 4PM tomorrow (Tuesday 15th May).

Sue visited our Clubroom a couple of weeks back and spoke to quite a few of the members - so it'll be interesting to see who made the cut!

Malcolm is too modest a modeller to mention that his layout, Fullers Wharf, is not only at the exhibition but is also in this months BRM magazine (superb photos by Andy York I must say).

Not wishing to lead the election... but I've just upgrade our "Best Layout" Voting Box ahead of the show as it was looking a bit battered and tired.  We include a voting slip in each programme we give out - the programmes are free - the vote counter (me) is open to financial persuasion.  Only joking!!!!

He will indeed - but for now just look at our Ely MRC website:

http://www.elymrc.org.uk/exhibition.html

Hi everyone,

Just to let you know that we're all getting excited/in the final stages of preparation for our annual show at Ely College on Saturday 19th May, starting at 10.30AM and closing at 4.30PM.  Yes, I know it clashes with the Royal Wedding but you can always watch the highlights on catch up!

Malcolm Hine, our Exhibition Manager, has put together a superb range of layouts and traders for the show, including his very own 7mm Fullers Wharf.

You can get full details about the show on our Ely MRC website , link in my signature.

I'll put a poster in here and mention that we have lots of FREE parking at the Ely College site and the exhibition is, as usual, in two large halls.  The Peterborough Model Engineers will have a steam train ride outside and there will also be a scale model of a traction engine for child rides too.

So leave the Mrs at home and bring the kids so she can watch that wedding in peace!